Ask the Roaster: In the face of Covid-19, are you still open and roasting coffee? Answer: Yes!
Carrie Masek
Many of our customers have contacted us asking how we’re doing and if they can count on getting their coffee while the country is dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. Others are concerned about the safety of the coffee they buy. With all the K-12 schools in Illinois closing Tuesday, with large gatherings cancelled or postponed and with many large companies either temporarily shutting down or asking their staff to work from home, we decided to share our answers to the most common questions. Here they are:
“Are the coffee beans I order safe to brew and drink?”
Absolutely. We wouldn’t be roasting coffee now if we thought there was any chance the virus could be spread via coffee beans. The green coffee beans were harvested, processed and packed in burlap sacks months ago, well before the virus was discovered. The bags of green coffee were shipped before the virus left China, and we received the bags before the virus began to spread in the US.
If a stray virus managed to hitch a ride on the coffee beans, the roasting process will incinerate it. During roasting, the coffee beans get up to at least 410 degrees F (Cinnamon roast level) and stay at roasting temperature for at least 8 minutes, hot enough and long enough to kill all known human pathogens, including corona viruses. Our FAQ page has more information about our roasting process.
Our normal processing also ensures that your coffee is safe. We’ve always been aggressive about hand-washing and the use of gloves. Once the beans are roasted, we put them directly into a new, never-before-opened bag. We only touch the outside of the bag (with washed/gloved hands) and the CO2 escaping the coffee beans though the bags’s one-way valves pushes away any ambient viruses the bag might encounter on its way to you. As far as Covid-19 goes, your coffee beans will always be safe to brew and drink.
“Are you staying open? Will I still be able to get my coffee if the Covid-19 crises gets worse?”
Yes, we are staying open and plan to roast coffee through this crisis. One of the benefits of being a small, family owned business is we’re more flexible than a larger firm, and it’s easier for all of us to cooperate to ensure working at Coffee by the Roast is as safe as possible. All of us are healthy at the moment, and none of us know anyone with Covid-19 symptoms. We had a team meeting yesterday and agreed to take these steps to make sure we all stay healthy.
1) Anyone who feels ill, especially if they have a fever and/or cough, are exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms, or are concerned their symptoms are more than a common cold or flu, will contact their doctor for all proper testing and health care needs and will follow all CDC/WHO recommendations (links are posted below). They won’t return to work until their doctor gives the ok, they feel better and they’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours. Anyone who needs to take time off for health reasons will receive their full pay while they’re out.
2) All of us who feel fine will still take our temperatures before coming to work. Anyone with a fever will stay home and follow the steps outlined above.
3) If any of us are exposed to the Covid-19 virus through a family member or someone they have had recent contact with, they will stay home and self-quarantine for the recommended 14 days.
Hopefully, none of us will catch the virus, but one advantage of being a small business is we’re used to running under-staffed. As long as any of us are healthy and are allowed to go to work, we’ll keep the coffee roasting.
And the United States Postal Service will continue to deliver it. While the USPS has temporarily paused local deliveries due to extreme weather, it is by far the most reliable delivery service in the world. The USPS has continued to deliver the mail despite war, economic uncertainty or health crisis. The Spanish Flu didn’t stop it*. We’re betting Covid-19 doesn’t either.
If anything changes, we’ll let you know. Keep an eye on our blog and Facebook page for any updates.
Because of the novel corona virus, there’s a lot to worry about these days. You don’t need to worry about your coffee. If you have friends who miss going to their favorite coffee shop, or are frustrated because markets are out of their favorite brand of coffee, let them know they can get fresh roasted, custom coffee delivered to their door. If they don’t have a grinder, we’re happy to grind their coffee for them. Just let us know! If they have questions about brewing coffee, please ask. We’re happy to help any way we can.
Finally, to do our part to keep our community healthy through social distancing, we're asking all our customers that usually enjoy picking up their coffee to have us mail their coffee to them instead during this time. Thank you.
Do you have any thoughts or advice to share? If so, please join the conversation and share your thoughts on the Facebook thread or in a comment on this blog. Or, if you have thoughts about coffee you’d like to share with the wider world, leave us a coffee review on Google or on your favorite review site. Not only do we value your opinions, but reviews help more people find us. Help us connect coffee lovers to fresh, quality coffee!
We wish all our customers good health and calm in this anxious time.
~ Carrie, Paul and all of us at Coffee by the Roast
*Mail delivery was hindered in a few places during the worst of the Spanish Flu epidemic where all local postal workers became ill at the same time. The USPS continued to run elsewhere, however, and all the mail was eventually delivered.